BRITISH Blue crosses bagged the top two awards and prices at Skipton Auction Mart’s spring show and sale of young feeding bulls.

In the under 10-months show class, father and son Alan and Gary Lodge, of Westside House, Malham Moor, led the way with a home-bred bull by a Scottish-bred sire they share with fellow Yorkshire Dales breeder James Hall, of Darnbrook. It is out of a Blue cross cow and sold for £1300 to York farmer and butcher, Anthony Swales, who bought 15 cattle to include all bar one of the prize winners in the two show classes. All head to the family’s Haverland Farm in Melbourne, before heading to the food chain for the summer trade at their Knavesmire Butchers in Albermarle Road, York.

For the second year running, farming brothers David and Stephen Hollings, of Spinks Hill Farm, Pecket Well, Hebden Bridge, collected the top award amongst the 10-12-month-old bulls with an all-black home-bred Blue-cross by Littlebank Harry – a bull bought from Richard Maudsley at Skipton, which also bred their 2016 victor. He made £1270.

The same two homes were also to the fore among the beef cows, with the Lodges leading the trade at £1430 with a Blonde cross while the Hollings brothers, sold the next best, a Blue cross at £1220.

Outwith the show classes, lead priced bull at £1440 was a Limousin cross from JM Wilson and Sons, of Beckwithshaw.